The long-awaited Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, has finally arrived, and it’s proven to be a great movie in its own right. Unlike a lot of recent legacy sequels, Top Gun: Maverick would be just as strong if the original movie had never existed. It’s a captivating father-son story on its own terms, whether viewers are familiar with Goose or not.
It was a joy to see returning icons like Tom Cruise as Maverick and Val Kilmer as Iceman in the sequel, but the newcomers in the cast are just as compelling. Goose’s son and his cohorts all have their own distinctive personalities that clash and click in different capacities as Maverick tries to galvanize them as a team.
Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson
Jon Hamm joins the Top Gun universe in the sequel with the role of Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson, the commander of the Naval Air Forces. A stern-faced military bureaucrat, Cyclone only recruits Maverick at the behest of Iceman, and doesn’t believe he has anything left to offer the Navy.
Throughout the movie, Cyclone makes a great comedic foil for Maverick. Hamm plays every scene totally straight opposite Cruise having fun with his reprisal of Pete Mitchell.
Amelia Benjamin
Amelia Benjamin is just a small role in the Top Gun sequel – she’s the droll teenage daughter of Maverick’s love interest, Penny – but she has some hilarious moments with Maverick.
In possibly the funniest moment in the movie, Amelia sees Maverick trying to climb out of her mother’s bedroom window. Then, in one of the sweetest moments, she simply tells him not to break her mom’s heart again.
Lieutenant Robert “Bob” Floyd
The mission candidates in Top Gun: Maverick could’ve been a collection of one-note action movie clichés, but they’re all well-rounded characters. They don’t have any perfunctory tragic backstories, but they do have distinctive personalities.
The timidest one of the bunch, Bob, is played by Lewis Pullman. Pullman brings the same dry wit to Bob that he brought to Major Major Major Major in the Catch-22 miniseries.
Sarah Kazansky
Jean Louisa Kelly plays a small but unforgettable role in Top Gun: Maverick as Sarah Kazansky, Iceman’s wife. Kelly introduces Val Kilmer’s cameo as an aging Iceman. In order to accommodate Kilmer’s appearance in the film, Ice’s wife explains that he has the same medical condition as the actor himself.
This scene is a real tearjerker, because Maverick’s heartfelt reunion with Iceman feels like Cruise giving a meta tip of the cap to Kilmer himself for a lifetime of great performances.
Rear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain
Like Jon Hamm, Ed Harris plays a stern-faced military bureaucrat with a disdain for Maverick in the Top Gun sequel. And, like Hamm, Harris makes a hilariously deadpan foil for Cruise.
Rear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain is Maverick’s direct superior at the beginning of the movie. He’s the head of the Darkstar program who continually threatens to divert Maverick’s funding (and ends up with egg on his face when Maverick turns out to have the piloting skills to meet his ridiculous demands).
Lieutenant Natasha “Phoenix” Trace
Monica Barbaro gives one of the most memorable mission candidate performances in Top Gun: Maverick in the role of Lieutenant Natasha “Phoenix” Trace. Phoenix is one of the wittiest banterers on the team, but she’s also one of the most loyal friends.
She’s one of the only recruits who’s actually nice to Bob. Maverick and Rooster are the stars of the final battle, but Phoenix gets a few glorious moments as she flies into battle with Bob.
Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin
Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin is this generation’s Iceman. Much like Iceman in the original movie, Hangman is a gifted pilot, he’s hysterically arrogant, and he likes to bust the protagonist’s chops. And in the end, he turns out to have a heart of gold.
Glen Powell gives a typically hilarious turn in the role, leaning into his character’s brash, cocksure attitude with the same satirical self-awareness that he brought to previous frat boy roles.
Penny Benjamin
Technically, Penny Benjamin was mentioned by name in the original Top Gun movie. But it’s just an off-the-cuff remark by Goose in reference to an “admiral’s daughter.” Jennifer Connelly plays Penny, an on-and-off love interest whose latest entanglement with Maverick just might stick this time.
Usually, the romantic subplots of action movies feel tacked-on and unnecessary, but this one is actually engaging, because Connelly shares palpable chemistry with Cruise and Maverick and Penny have a lot in common with their comparable parental struggles.
Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw
Maverick training Goose’s son could’ve been a gimmicky premise for a Top Gun sequel, but Top Gun: Maverick makes it work beautifully with a powerful emotional arc in which Maverick works to win over his late wingman’s son. This storyline isn’t just a nod to Goose’s legacy; it’s a great story on its own terms.
Miles Teller plays “Rooster” as his own kind of rebellious hotshot flyboy; he’s not just doing an Anthony Edwards impression to evoke nostalgia for the original. He develops a tangible estranged father-son dynamic with Cruise as their tensions gradually ease throughout the film.